


A Time to Run, A Time to Stay

by Callofthemoon



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek Hale Deserves Nice Things, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Getting Back Together, M/M, Not as awkward as they should be exes, Second Chances, Stiles Stilinski Leaves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-15 23:44:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19306267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callofthemoon/pseuds/Callofthemoon
Summary: His Dad understood at first, but two summers of internships and missed holidays gave him room to complain that Beacon Hills was his home, and there were people that missed him. And Stiles understood, he understood that he had been a part of it, an integral, if somewhat overlooked, part of it all. But somewhere he felt he deserved this break, these few years of normal, where the biggest thing he had to worry about was the Midterm coming up. And he allowed himself to run away.Even if running away meant leaving Derek behind.





	A Time to Run, A Time to Stay

When Stiles left for college, he ensured that nobody could follow him. They all knew he was going to school in New York, that wasn’t a secret. But no one could really spare the time to come out to visit with the craziness of Beacon Hills. He isn't quite sure if he made the decision on purpose, wouldn’t be able to swear that he applied for an escape, but ten minutes after landing in New York he knew he was never going back. His Dad understood at first, but two summers of internships and missed holidays gave him room to complain that Beacon Hills was his home, and there were people that missed him. And Stiles understood, he understood that he had been a part of it, an integral, if somewhat overlooked, part of it all. But somewhere he felt he deserved this break, these few years of normal, where the biggest thing he had to worry about was the Midterm coming up. And he allowed himself to run away. 

He doesn’t think his Dad ever really understood his need to run, but they tried to move past it. They skyped, they chatted. His Dad even came out to visit his Junior year, before being called back for an emergency involving a kelpie, Stiles never really asked for the details. The point was, Stiles went to college and got out. The first time Scott called him for a favor and Stiles refused, marked the end of a two-decade long friendship. And when Scott turned his back, the pack followed shortly afterwards. Or at least what was left of the ragtag group of teenagers that had been forced to grow up far beyond their years. The only one Stiles clung to was Derek.  
Derek, who against all odds kept standing and surveying and helping, helping, helping, until he broke. Derek, who was everything Stiles wanted. Derek, who had kissed Stiles against the door following a fight with pixies. Derek, who whispered sweet nothings about a life that Stiles knew they never could have.  
They spoke on the phone almost every night, words trailing off when they couldn’t keep their eyes open. They texted, despite Stiles’ overuse of emojis and Derek’s taciturn typing. They put in day after day of effort to ensure they would work. But again, the years began to build up. Derek visited when he could, but was loath to leave the territory for long, knowing that his absence could mean death for a younger pack member. And Stiles understood. He understood when phone calls trailed off, until he couldn’t remember the last time he had picked up the phone. He understood when visits became shorter and less frequent. He understood when Derek kissed him sweetly, and walked onto the plane without setting any firm plans for the future. Stiles was smart enough to understand that Derek was letting him take his out. He was letting him run, but he wasn’t going to be able to run away with him.

Stiles cried in the airport, cried on the subway, and cried into ice cream for a week, before moving forward. School became internships, internships became jobs, and Stiles built himself a life in New York. He had a routine, he had a job, he had friendly coworkers, and he was fine. Absolutely fine.  
Until he got the call from the hospital. Melissa spoke calmly, but Stiles knew how serious this was. Had known since he was in Middle School and a doctor had announced ‘high blood pressure.’ Had known when he nagged that his Dad was moments away from a heart attack. 

He caught the next flight out, reminding himself that his Dad was alive, that the heart attack was minor, and that Melissa was there by side. He didn’t let himself panic over returning to Beacon Hills for the first time in a decade. He didn’t let himself panic about seeing Scott and the pack. He didn’t let himself panic about Derek picking him up from the airport. Or at least, he didn’t let himself panic much.  
Getting picked up from the airport by your ex-boyfriend was definitely supposed to be more awkward. There was supposed to be more stilted conversations and awkward determinations on exactly how long a hug could be. It wasn’t supposed to be soft smiles and casual conversation. It wasn’t supposed to be shared looks on a drive to a hospital and quiet offers to walk in with you. But Stiles was on his last nerve, and this was Derek. A calmer, more Zen Derek, but Derek all the same. And he had been in love with Derek since they saw each other in the woods, and Derek yelled at him to get off his lawn. In love with Derek when he desperately tried to keep them both afloat in a pool, and this time it was Derek making sure he didn’t drown. Holding him up, directing him through the hospital, so he could see his Dad was going to be okay with his own two eyes.  
With the close of visiting hours, Stiles realized he didn’t know where to go. His Dad had sold the house and moved in with Melissa years ago, and she was on shift that evening. Scott still hadn’t emerged from the wood work. Beacon Hills was too small to have a hotel. Just as it all became overwhelming, Derek stepped around the corner, coffee cup in hand. Pressing the cup into Stiles’ hand, Derek pulled him outside and drove them to the loft. Stiles knew this was a big deal, knew that Derek was inviting him to stay over, letting him in one last time.  
It wasn’t until they were getting ready for bed that Stiles worried about the familiarity of it. The domestic bliss he was letting himself pretend he could have. The ease of falling back into bed, back into Derek’s loft and life. When he said as much, Derek smiled sadly. 

“I can’t very well invite you back in, because I never really considered you gone. I just wanted you to be happy, and I didn’t think that you could ever truly be happy with me, with the links back to Beacon Hills. You always deserved so much more than this town. And so I let you run.”

And Stiles knew, he knew that Derek had let him go, but he wishes that they had fought a little bit harder, a little bit longer to stay together. But then he thinks back on this very long day, back to those moments where Derek had stood next to him and smiled. And he realized that he was wrong. He had always been wrong. And he scrambled to tell Derek, to seize this glimmer of a chance that he was seeing  
“I may have wanted to run, but I also wanted more from my life. I wanted more than late night parties and unending work. Friends that I can call on to laugh, but never to cry. I ran from everyone, from Beacon Hills, from my Dad, from the monsters under the bed. And in the process I ran from you. And I just want to stop running. Derek, please.”

Derek turned, and the look of shock melded into awe. Like he couldn’t quite trust what Stiles was saying until he saw his face. And when he saw the fear in Stiles’ eyes and saw the chance he wanted, he rushed forward, closing the distance between them after so long and leaned forward, pausing just inches from Stiles’ lips, giving Stiles one last chance to run. One last chance to change his mind. Stiles saw that chance, and decided it was time to face this thing head on. Face them down, with Derek at his side. It was time to stop running. He brought a hand up to Derek’s cheek, smiled, and kissed him. Perhaps, despite it all, he could have Derek and keep him.


End file.
